Theater at Washington and Lee

Doug Thomas '74, '77LL.B. reports that the family business, Thomas Cadillac Jaguar in Hartford, Conn., received a Family Business of the Year citation from the University of Connecticut's business school. His involvement with theater continues, serving on the Board of Directors for the University of Hartford's Hartt School which recently constructed a new center for the performing arts. Doug Thomas maintains his acting skills at church where he portrays biblical characters for the children in the early years of church school. (10/17/03)

Will Cantler '77 is Casting Director and Partner in Bernard Telsey Casting working on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Regional Theater, film and television. Recent Broadway shows include Enchanted April, The Goat, Long Day's Journey Into Night and Anna In The Tropics. He recently spent much of his time casting Whoopi. Cantler is also Associate Artistic Director of the MCC Theater, an Off-Broadway non-profit in its 17th season best known for their Pulitzer-winning production of Margaret Edison's Wit. In the last two years MCC Theater has produced The Glory of Living by Rebecca Gilman starring Anna Paquin, The Mercy Seat, written and directed by Neil Labute, starring Liv Schrieber and Sigourney Weaver, and Intrigue With Faye, by Kate Robin, starring Julianna Margulies and Benjamin Bratt. Will Cantler is a member of the Casting Society of America and became a Tony Award voter this year. (10/7/03)

The Casting Society of America awarded Bernard Telsey and Will Cantler an Artios Award for their work casting Hairspray and Long Day's Journey Into Night on Broadway. (10/8/03).

Brian Garr '77 is currently living in Boca Raton, FL with his wife and two children, Tyler and Keith. Brian works for IBM specializing in the area of speach recognition and machine translation and is a frequent speaker at technology shows worldwide and in the press. He also helps the local high school with their drama productions, where his daughter Tyler recently played the role of Maria in The Sound of Music. (10/10/03)

Barry D. Godin '78 After graduation, he spent several years in the visual merchandising industry working in Charlottesville, Richmond, Philadelphia and New York for various department stores.  Then it was off to Atlantic City to become the first Casino Slot host for premium players. Eight years later he made the big move to NYC but not before racking up almost 6 years on ABC's Ryan's Hope, several Equalizer episodes, Dead Poet's Society, Cadillac Man, Eddie and the Cruisers, Trading Places, Taps, Sea of Love and Ghostbusters.  He has spent the past 15 years as an in house senior decorator and buyer for Eclectic Encore Props.  He has decorated Saturday Nite Live for 15 years, Law and Order (all of them), Conan, Sex and the City, OZ, and the Sopranos just to name a few.  This past year he purchased the R & L Modeling agency and spends his weekends searching the country for the next it girl or guy. (9/21/06)

David Sorrells '80 is in his 11th year as director of theater arts at Chapel Hill High School. This year his season will include The Importance of Being Earnest and Sweeney Todd. Recent roles have included Inca King Patchacuti in the original opera The Inca's Chosen Bride and a reprise of the Historian in the 2001 production of The Lost Colony directed by Terrence Mann. He is currently a cast member of a new musical, Byuioo that was written by a former student and is in rehearsal. David is also a member of the Oakwood Waits (a 17 person a capella singing group) that has performed at the White House, the Biltmore House and the North Carolina Governor's Mansion. (11/20/03)

Peter Moody '83 directed a happy-hour length docudramedy on the martini called Olive or Twist that premiered at the San Antonio Underground Film Festival. He has worked as a Location Scout/Assistant Location Manager for The Matrix Reloaded, The Hulk, Twisted, Bandits, Sweet November and Bicentennial Man. (10/14/03)

Greg Stites '86 is currently in his second year of teaching Drama at The Greenwood School in Jacksonville, FL. He was hired to teach and establish a Drama Program at this private school serving grades 1-12. The new program will present its inaugural performance this spring. Ira Levine's Deathtrap is planned as the first production. He also worked with the now defunct River City Playhouse in Jacksonville. It was an educational theatre organization where he performed and was stage manager for Playhouse productions in addition to teaching Theatre Arts in afterschool programs throughout the city.

Monica Burke Moyer '89 I am a 1989 graduate of W&L (first co-ed class), with a major in English and Drama. I completed the Columbia University School of the Arts MFA program in Theater Management in 1992, and was fortunate to return to the Lenfest Center for an internship followed by an appointment as Assistant to Manager Mike Gorman. Since 1993, I have made my living in the less dramatic world of Software consulting, becoming a specialist in Lotus Notes. This career took me to New York, Washington, and finally Philadelphia, where I met my husband, Michael, a Veterinarian. We married in 2000 and have a daughter, Carolyn and are expecting baby #2 in April. (11/13/03)

Karen Myers '91 is the Theater Director at the Sovereign Performing Arts Center in Reading, PA. The Sovereign Performing Arts Center is a recently renovated theater dating back to the late 19th century. Karen was involved in the renovation of the theater and continues in the management of the facility. (10/14/03)

Douglas Nelson '91 is a systems consultant on Wall Street (currently at JP Morgan Chase). He puts his theatrical eduction to use in his avocation, performing regularly as a bard - sometimes with a band and sometimes solo. Douglas reports, "Last Friday, I had a show at the Bitter End with a band - 'Douglas Nelson and his Amazing Mule' - doing all Tom Waits music. We packed the house and were invited to do it again in a few weeks." (9/30/03)

Chamie Deters '91 works in marketing communications for Bank of America from her home in Louisville. She and husband Ward get creative through singing and performing when the opportunities present themselves in and around Louisville. The couple have two girls - Alice (3) and Julia (1 1/2). (10/15/03)

Emily Ecton '92 is now living in Chicago and writes for Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!, the NPR news quiz. She previously worked in Media Relations at PBS, as a script reader for Young Playwrights, Inc., and as a comedy script writer for Sonic Boom, a teen radio show sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Ecton received her masters degree in playwriting from Northwestern University. Her plays have been produced in New York, Texas, Delaware, Virginia, Illinois and Washington, D. C. (9/25/03)

Emily's play, Reign of Tara, was presented in a reading as part of the Flournoy Playwright Festival at Washington and Lee in November, 2003. Reign of Tara was a semifinalist in the Chesterfield Film Company's Writer's Film Project and a finalist in the McLaren Memorial Playwriting Competition. (11/6/03)

Chris Buford '96 is monitor engineer for the Richmond-based band "Carbon Leaf," recipient of the first Annual Coca Cola New Music Award in January 2002. Carbon Leaf tours the east coast extensively and has played as far away as Seattle. Before joining Carbon Leaf, Chris was the sound engineer at Theatre Virginia. (10/13/03)

Tom Kernan '96 is the Property Manager for a real estate development company in Staunton, Virginia. He and his wife April, who works in the Accounts Payable department for the Augusta County School Board, moved to Virginia from St. Louis in October, 2001. After moving back to the Valley, Tom took the position of Technical Director for ShenanArts, in Verona, Virginia. After a year of desperately trying to make ends meet, Tom moved on to a construction company where he was eventually promoted to Assistant Project Manager. From there, he was moved to Property Manager in October, and has been enjoying his job ever since. Unable to be away from theater altogether, Tom serves on the Board of Directors for ShenanArts, as well as serving as "lighting guy" for Shenandoah Shakespeare's Blackfriars Concert Series. "Any and all alumni who are passing through Staunton and need a place to stay have an invitation to crash at our house!" (3/15/05)

Maria Hardin '97 is living in Charlotte, NC where she works for her father's investment management company to pay the bills. She also works as Development Director for the Barebone Theatre Group which currently does not pay any bills. Before relocating to Charlotte in 2001, she had worked as a Marketing and Public Relations Assistant for the Glimmerglass Opera and as a Development Associate for the Boston Lyric Opera. (10/20/03)

Ethan H. Krupp '97 earned an MFA in Theatre Design & Technology at University of Montana in 2000. After six years in Houston, TX,  as an Assistant Professor at the University of Houston Downtown (and being granted tenure), Krupp moved east to a small college town, just off an interstate, and with US 11 as the main drag through town.  It felt like something somewhat familiar from his past that he just couldn't place. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.  He is the Technical Director for the Theatre Division, as well as a props, scenery, lighting, and sound designer.  He has also done work for the
Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, local professional company founded by students of Alvina Krause, currently in its 30th season.  While Krupp does enjoy his time in the darkness of the theatre, his remaining free time is spent at home with his better half, Deborah
(Zollmann, '97) and their children; Foster (8/20/98), Fenton (3/8/00), Piper (12/23/02 - 1/14/03), Patrick (12/27/04) and Ruthie (4/15/05). They are members of the old homes of Bloomsburg Club, having purchased a house that dates back to at least 1854.  He would love to hear from anyone coming through Bloomsburg (Close to the I-80/I-81 interchange). (4/7/08)

Zach Hanks '98 After graduating from W&L, Zach lived in Los Angeles for several years, where he performed in several plays, television pilots, and short films, including the award-winning short, Taste it All. He also was a founding member of ARK theatre company, enjoying its sixth production year. He then served as Artistic Associate at Lexington's Theater at Lime Kiln for a season. He left to pursue graduate training and perform in regional theatre, including the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespearean Festival, the Alliance Theatre, and the Texas Shakespeare Festival. Zach received his MFA in acting from the University of South Carolina last December and has returned to Los Angeles. (revised 1/17/05)

This February, Zach will appear as Deputy Reed in the independent film, Come Away Home, opening in Atlanta and other east coast cities. Zach performed opposite veteran actors Paul Dooley, Martin Mull, and David Keith. Also in February, he will be playing the lead in another independent film, My Sweet Misery, opposite Anna Chlumsky, the star of My Girl. (1/17/05)

Alyssa Sellers '99 Since graduating from college, Alyssa Sellers has used her theatre talents to enthrall young children. She has worked in the pre-kindergarten and first grades in both the Greenwich Country Day School and Greens Farms Academy in Connecticut. Living in Greenwich since graduation, she travels to NYC as much as possible to see the latest shows. Alyssa joined Greens Farms Academy as a first grade teacher this year after completing a Masters in Education with honors this past May. Her theatrics keep the students entertained daily, and they are learning to speak clearly and with expression using Alyssa's tricks from acting class. At the Greenwich Country Day School, Alyssa taught an after school theatre program to first through third graders, which culminated in an original short play which she wrote (different ones each year). She was also a key player in the yearly grade level plays, as well as writing a light-hearted one act performed by her colleagues about the importance of recycling. (11/12/03)

Christine Bragg Mihan ’99, one of the founding members of W&L Dance, has been continuing her passion for dance since graduation-tap, ballet, jazz, modern, hip-hop, ballroon and Bharatanatyam. Christine is currently the Marketing Director for the American Repertory Ballet. She is charge of marketing their 20-member professional company, their 3 Princeton Ballet School locations, and their Educational Outreach programs. 

She has choreographed numerous operas for Opera At Rutgers, has taught at four dance studios in New Jersey various dance disciplines. Additional choreography credits include Copelia, Princeton Ballet School Spring 2006 and Dance of Destiny: Mime, Myth and Modernism with Tala Shruti School of Dance, October 2006. After five years of studying Bharatanatyam ( a classical form of dance in India) with Renuka Srinivasan of the Tala Shruti School of Dance, she is helping Srinivasan open a studio and developing a curriculum of a fusion of the eastern and western forms of dance. 

During her W&L Dance career, Mihan served as the principal jazz and tap choreographer for the troupe. After studying abroad in Paris in 1999, she introduced W&L Dance to techno music by choreographing a techno tap duet for herself and Charron Hodges Montgomery using concepts learned during her stay in France. In addition, Mihan was instrumental in fundraising efforts and costume construction. Mihan is currently living with her husband, Eric, in Princeton, N.J. Cell phone, 732-690-7737. (Photo by Valerie Ford Photography)       christinemihan@gmail.com 

Chris Johnson '00 is currently a first year resident in emergency medicine at Duke University. He was married on May 28 to Lynn Harrington -- they were in the same class at MCV, and she is currently a first year resident in pediatrics at UNC-Chapel Hill. They live in Durham, North Carolina.  Worried that medical school would interfere with his love for travel, Chris was fortunate to be part of a medical trip to Keyna after his first year of med school where he worked in various clinics seeing mostly children. 

Holly Estes Minter '00 performed in her first musical theater production, Jack and the Beanstalk, with NC Kid's Theatre of Durham, NC. She was asked to continue as a permanent member of the company, but declined in order to start a family. Currently, Holly is working on her most important production yet - her baby daughter, Hayley. Holly, her husband and daughter live in Fuquay-Varina, NC. (10/19/03)

Brian Prisco '00 is currently living outside Boston, MA, pursuing an MFA in screenwriting at Boston University's College of Communication, Film and Television. Between graduating from W&L and enrolling at Boston University, Brian had major roles at the Theatre Outlet, TO2 Second Stage, Civic Theatre of Allentown, Dark Horse Children's Theatre, Playcrafters of Skippack, and the Montgomery Theatre Project. He is one of the featured new playwrights at the Theatre Outlet, producing a seven play, one-act play festival of original work titled, Dodgeball With Fat Kids in 2001 and collaborating with fellow playwrights Tesia Nicoli and Steven Bost on a new play festival titled, We Got Bills in 2003. (10/9/03)

Cassie Ritter '01 is the Director of the Annual Fund at Washington and Lee. She is actively involved with Lime Kiln Arts and is a member of its Board of Directors. (10/9/03)

Rebecca Dupps '01 is now living in Charleston, SC with her husband William Lee Edwards. She has started her own public relations/marketing/advertising company. Her focus client is the School of Building Arts (SoBA), the first school in the nation dedicated to the preservation of traditional building trades. Becca is also a freelance writer with two columns in House Calls Magazine ("About Women" and "Out and About") and one in Charleston Magazine ("Channel Markers"). (10/12/03)

Ryan Truax '01 After graduating from W&L with a dual degree in theatre and journalism, Ryan moved to Hollywood in September of 2001 to pursue an acting career. Since that time, he's acted in several student and independent films, and continues auditioning and writing in hopes of catching a break. He recently signed with a commercial agent, and expects that before long, he'll be doing much more acting and less bartending to make his rent. In the meantime, though, he pays the bills as everyone's favorite bartender/Seahawk fan at a sports bar in Santa Monica, tries to make plenty of time for his girlfriend of three years (Alex, a USC film school grad), and occasionally spends more leisure hours in the outdoors. Check out some additional info at http://www.nowcasting.com/ryantruax. (12/11/05)

Kim Sampson '04  is working at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. She was recently licensed in stage make-up and is on her way to achieving her goal of becoming a free lance make-up artist. (4/24/06)

Victoria Stanham '05 is working as a student counselor at a high school in Montevideo, Uruguay and teaching fashion history at a university. She finds her work challenging and fulfilling. She does miss the stage and thrill of acting, directing, singing and performing.
She recently had the opportunity to host a dinner for the University Chamber Singers who made a stop in Montevideo during their South American Tour. "It was a truly wonderful evening. I got to hear Shenandoah again and sing along with them! Of course it made me miss W&L like crazy." (4/24/06)